UPDATE: Two plead not guilty in fatal Canyon Country crash

Adds that Vensko is out on bail

Two men pleaded not guilty Friday to murder charges stemming from a fatal collision that killed a 19-year-old Canyon Country man, a spokeswoman with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said.

Colt Sean Doherty and Thomas Joseph Vensko, both of Canyon Country, were charged with murder in the death of Dakota Demott, who died during an apparent street-racing incident on Jan. 10.

If convicted, each faces a sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole.

Demott died when the vehicle he was riding in collided with a tree on Sand Canyon Road at Alamo Canyon Road in Canyon Country. Doherty was driving the Ford Mustang when it crashed.

“(Demott) was thrown out of the car and killed on Jan. 10, 2012, when the vehicle crashed while street racing a Honda driven by Vensko,” according to prosecutors.

Vensko has been charged with second-degree murder for his alleged role in contributing to the death.

Both Doherty and Vensko will appear in court Jan. 22 to set a date for a preliminary hearing, said District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Jane Robison.

Vensko was released from custody on bail on Nov. 6, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Doherty is being held on $1 million bail.